This volume contains 21 stories that won the Iowa Short Fiction Award between 1991 and 2000. The authors include David Borofka, Mark Brazaitis, Tereze Gluck, Elizabeth Harris, Renee Manfredi, Sondra Spatt Olsen, Nancy Reisman and Don Zancanella.
Whether hurtling toward Earth in a disabled airplane, sharing silence with a prostitute, fantasizing about the Manson family, or hiding disgust for a dying friend, the characters in this new collection engage and captivate readers. The authors -- from 1991 winners Elizabeth Harris and Sondra Spatt Olsen to newcomers John McNally and Elizabeth Oness -- explore the nuances of love, lust, youth, old age, illness, nostalgia, obsession, idiosyncrasy, and surprise.
Their work -- judged by such accomplished writers as Ethan Canin, Francine Prose, Ann Beattie, and Stuart Dybek -- and the selections Conroy has chosen to share exemplify remarkable writing. Moreover, each writer achieves the expectations of the Iowa Short Fiction Award, established in 1969 to provide a forum for the publication of a uniquely American literary form.
